Door structure



R. E. FIELDS DOOR STRUCTURE Filed Deo. 22, 1954 June 24, 1958 l YIIIIIIIIIIII United States Patent DOOR STRUCTURE Application December 22, 1954, SerialmNm 477 ,065

1 Claim. (Cl. 20--35) This invention relates to refrigerated cabinet structures, but 1s more specifically directed to an improved door structure which incorporates simple means therein to facilitate redecorating the door at will.

It is a primary object of the present invention, therefore,

to provide an improved door structure having means asso-k ciated therewith to facilitate altering or modifying the decorative appearance of the door.

Another object is to provide a cabinet door having an Y auxiliary frame pivotally mounted externally thereof which may be used to clampingly support a decorative sheathing or the like against the outer face of the door.

A further object is to provide an insulated refrigerated cabinet door fashioned with a raised center panel and having readily releasable means mounted hingedly on the door for closely engaging the raised portion thereof so that a decorative covering for the door may be supportably positioned between said means and said raised panel portion.

A still further object is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and effective arrangement for removably mounting a decorative covering or the like on a portion of the outer surface of a refrigerated cabinet door.

The above and other objects of the invention, such as to provide a means for hiding the spot-welded joints around the center panel of the door, to provide a suitable cover for the edges of a decorative facing material, and to provide facilities for rapidly changing decorative coverings on the door, will appear more fully from the following detailed description of a representative type of door embodying the invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a refrigerated cabinet incorporating the present invention in the door thereon;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the refrigerated cabinet of Figure 1 but shown with the proposed frame structure in a partially opened position;

Figure V3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of Figure l but shown in aV slightly larger dimension; Y f Y Y -Y Y Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view, in enlarged dimension, taken along line 4-4 of Figure 1 and shows in detail the snap fastener type of hold down clip used for securing the proposed frame;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view, in enlarged dimension, taken along line 5-5 of Figure l and shows the detail of the hinge mounting for the proposed frame;

Figure 6 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the line 6 6 of Figure l showing the frame section in greater detail; and

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view, in enlarged dimensions, of one side portion of the proposed frame.

' For purposes of illustrating a preferred application of the present invention there is depicted in the attached drawings a generally conventional refrigerated cabinet, indicated by the reference numeral 10, having an outer shell 11 and an inner shell 12 spaced therefrom with suitlic@ able heat insulating material 13 therebetween. The cabinet is fashioned Vwith one side thereof open to provide access to a food storage compartment 14 therewithin while a door 15 mounted on hinges 16 is provided as a closure or covermember for said opening as is well understood in the art. Since the refrigerating apparatus forms no particular part ofthe present invention it has not `been shown in the drawings and no further reference will be made thereto in the following description.

The door 1,5 which includes someV generally conventional features of Yconstruction is formed with a peripherally extending generally vU-shaped frame-like side wall member 17 having flange-like legs 18 and 19 extending inwardly therefrom. A rear wall or inner panel member 20 may be expansibly'secured together with a peripherally extending resilient sealing gasket 21 to the rear a'nge 18 by suitable means such as the threaded fasteners 22. Suitable heat insulating material 23 is positioned between the walls of said door and the rear panel 20 may be formed from any one of a number of suitable and well known low-heat Vconducting plastic compositions. Suitable latching mechanism (not shown) controlled by the foot pedal 15a may be provided for opening and closing the door.

A front wall or outer panel member, represented generally by the'numeral 24, is centered within said framelike wall member 17 and is xedly secured along the marginaledges thereof, by suitable conventional means such as the spot Welds indicated at 25, to the front flange 19 of said frame. Thepanel 24 is formed, according to theparticular concepts of the present invention, with a raised kor drawn central portion 26 that is offset from the marginal edges thereof by a peripherally extending normally disposed flange-like. portion 27 which, when so formed, provides a shoulder 28 that also extends completely around the edges of said panel. As shown, in a seemingly exaggerated proportion in some of the drawings, the raised or offset central portion 26 of said front panel is formed with a crowned face that slopes toward all the respective edges thereof while -the shoulder 28 along said edges is substantially liat in its longitudinal dimension and lies within a single plane. t

An auxiliary or adapter frame, represented generally by the reference numeral 29, resembles a picture frame and is mounted, by suitable means such as the hinges 30, on the outer face of the door 15.. Attaching means, such as the rivets indicated at Sila, may be used to xedly secure said hinges to the door in the area where the front flange 19 thereof is welded to the adjoining marginal edge of the panel 24 thereby eliminating the need for any backup or reinforcing member on the inner side of said panel. Rivet means, such as indicated at 30h, may also be used to xedly secure the hinges 30 to the adapter or swingout frame 29.

The swing-out frame 29 is fashioned from a member that resembles in appearance a trim strip that is bent to form a frame generally rectangular in shape with an open center and which is adapted to overlie the shoulder 28 and be positioned against said door in a closely tting relationship. A cross section of one side portion of said frame resembles an angle member having a leg or arm 3l that extends substantially normal to a leg or arm 32, while the end edges of these legs are overturned or flanged as indicated, respectively, at 33 and 34 and best seen in Figure 7. The overturned edge 34 is fashioned to conform with the general contour of the outer surface of the shoulder 2S against which it will be while/the overall frame 29 is shaped to t the general contour of the peripherally extending oifset portion 27 of the raised panel 26 on said door. It is preferred that the leg or arm 31 of said frame be suciently long to cover the spot-weld points 25 along the marginal edges of the outer panel 24 thus eliminating the need for and the cost of metal finishing of the area adjoining these welds. This iiange 33 may be of such length as required to space the frame from the flange 19 a distance substantially corresponding to the thickness of the leaves of the hinges 30 while said hinges, preferably, are secured to the frame 24 at points where cut-outs have been made in the flange 33. While said swing-out frame may be fashioned from any suitable material, itis pre'- ferred that it be fabricated of a light Weight metallic composition, such as aluminum or magnesium, and that it be fabricated of a material that will be sutiiciently rigid to resist reasonable distortion and yet present an appearance that will enhancethe overall appearance of the door to which it is attached, while the color, of course, maybe blended into or made to harmonize with that of the door or cabinet surface.

On the portion of the frame 29 that overlies the side of the door opposite from that of the hinges there are provided a plurality of releasable fastening means for securely holding down said frame against the door. Each of said fastening means lincludes a snap fastener 35 which has outwardly spreading resilient projections or prongs 36 thereon that are adapted to be squeezed together to permit their insertion into an opening and then spread apart to prevent the easy withdrawal thereof from said opening. Fasteners or hold down clips of this type are well known products and are manufactured, among others, by the Tinnerman Products Company. The fastener is fixedly secured by any Well known means to the swing-out frame 29 and the prongs 36 thereof are aligned with an opening in the marginal edge portion of the panel 24 that registers with an opening in the adjoining flange 19 in the framelike wall member 17 of the door. In order to seal the opening provided in the door for the snap fastenersl against the ingress of moisture, a cup-like cap member 37 is suitably secured to the back of the panel 24 and disposed so as to overlie each of the openings therein. Such capping member may be fashioned from any one of many of the suitable and well known plastic or rubber compositions. Any of the suitable adhesives or asphaltic compounds may, if desired, be used for aixing said caps to the rear of the door panel member.

In Vcovering the proposed door with any particular decorative covering the adapter frame 29. is lirst released from its hold-down or closed position by snapping the fasteners 35 loose and then swinging the frame open on its hinges 30. A sheathing of the desired decorative covering material 38 is cut to size and then positioned against the surface of the door panel and, if desired, may be held temporarily in place by a suitable adhesive such Ias the well-known double-face pressure sensitive adhesive tape manufactured and marketed by the Minnesota Mining Company. After said sheathing has been properly centered and all Wrinkles worked out of the adapter or swing-out frame 29 is closed in clam-ping fashion overrthe end portions of said covering, and as said frame is snapped into its closed or hold-down position the covering material is pulled tightly and stretched over the surface of said panel while, at the same time, the ends ofthe material are covered and concealed by said frame. It will readily be appreciated from the above that frequent changes of such decorative coverings may be made at will, and that various arrangements or combinations of such coverings may also be employed as desired. Furthermore, a thin sheet or panel of a decorative material such as an unsupported vinyl plastic film may also be used in lieu of a fabric or fabric-like material, if preferred.

From the foregoing it should now be apparent that a novel door structure has been shown and described, and it is to be understood that changes may be made in the proposed construction without departing from the spirit 'of the invention or the scope thereof as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a decorative panel construction for refrigerator d-oors having an outer shell provided with a side wall formed of a channelled frame member extending about the top, bottom, and sides of the door, with the front and rear flanges of the channel turned inwardly, the improvement which comprises a front wall member lhaving a central front wall portion provided 'with a peripheral rearwardly extending an'ge joined to the central portion by a curved portion forming a rearwardly extending shoulder extending completely about 'the front wall member, said rearward liange `being received inside Vthe Afront flange of said channelled frame member and attached thereto by welding, an adapter frame of a shape similar to the front wall member, said adapter frame being angular in cross section, and having an Vinwardly curved clamping flange extending over said curved portion of the front Wall member, and also having a forwardly extending frame ang'e extending entirely about the said peripheral rearward extending ilange of the front wall member with sutiicient clearance to receive with a clamping action a covering cf flexible decorative material covering thefront wall member out tothe channeled frame, said adapted frame having hinges mounted on said channeled frame at one side thereof, and said adapter frame fitting -over the flexible decorative covering and drawing it tightly over the front wall member until the adapter frame encompasses and secures the exible covering about the front 'wall member at the peripheral rearwardly extending ange thereofyand a plurality of expanding U-shaped fasteners 'concealed under said adapted frame and carried by the rear side of the attaching ange of said adapter frame and extending into apertures in the front flange of the channeled frame member to secure the adapter frame thereto-on the side opposite to 'said hinges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Chapman et al. Feb. 12, 1957 

